The Peppol network is one of the most popular ways to transmit e-invoices internationally. It is used in over 40 countries, and is mandatory in many of these regions.
One reason for Peppol’s popularity is its strong level of standardization. This enables companies to send and receive e-invoices across borders with minimal changes needed to comply with local formatting requirements. However, Peppol’s standards are changing.
The Global Exchange Network Association (GENA), an organization focused on simplifying digital transactions, introduced the Enhanced B2B framework. This update will modernize how companies exchange electronic business documents through Peppol, increasing interoperability between e-invoicing service providers.
Keep reading to learn more about Peppol’s new Enhanced B2B standards, how they will impact your business, and how Storecove can support your Peppol e-invoicing.
Let’s jump in.
The Peppol Network
Peppol is an open exchange network created to facilitate the efficient and secure transmission of electronic business documents. Peppol was launched in 2012 by the OpenPeppol organization and remains a leading framework for e-invoice exchange. It is a globally-compatible network, but has the most use in Europe and Asia.
The Peppol framework is based on the 4-corner model. As illustrated in the diagram below, the network connects buyers and sellers through their respective Peppol Access Points. The 4-corner model enables near real-time invoicing, allowing for transparency into transactions and a much faster transaction speed compared to manual systems.
The Peppol network is based on Peppol Business Interoperability Specifications (Peppol BIS), a set of document standards that enables high levels of interoperability and painless compliance with international e-invoicing mandates.
Recently, GENA released a plan to increase interoperability for e-invoicing service providers by creating a 4-corner model compatible with Peppol: Enhanced B2B (eB2B).
Keep reading to learn more about what eB2B is and how it will impact Peppol users.
Read more: Download our free Peppol Whitepaper
What is eB2B?
Enhanced B2B (eB2B) is a Peppol-compatible framework developed by GENA to improve interoperability between service providers. It is designed to support international trade and is compliant with EN 16931 guidelines, VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) requirements, and more. Thanks to its compatibility with international mandates, fewer changes must be made to your e-invoices when conducting cross-border transactions.
Adoption of eB2B is voluntary for now, but is strongly recommended. Countries or tax authorities may require its use in the near future as mandates evolve.
So, how will eB2B enhance the Peppol network?
Alignment with Global Standards
With the eB2B update, the network now aligns with EN 16931 and ViDA standards for business documents. Compatibility with international standards makes global trade easier. It solves potential compliance issues and reduces the number of changes needed when sending documents across borders. Additionally, the eB2B framework ensures only valid and compliant transactions are pushed through the system, reducing the number of errors you will encounter.
Easier Scaling for EDI Companies
EDI companies benefit greatly from the interoperability improvements of eB2B. With the new framework, EDI companies can send existing e-invoices through the Peppol network without significant changes required. The network will take care of formatting and compliance tasks instead, so your organization does not need to restructure its current invoicing system. The eB2B updates enable EDI companies to scale faster and connect with more businesses around the world thanks to smoother onboarding and compliance processes.
Broader Document Support
The list of business documents accepted by Peppol is expanding with the eB2B update. It now supports orders, despatch advices, catalogues, credit notes, invoice responses, and more. Support for more types of documents allows companies to handle more of their invoicing workflow through the Peppol network, reducing errors and saving time.
Real-Time Validation
Enhanced B2B supports real-time validation of electronic business documents, helping businesses gain better visibility into their transactions from start to finish. Companies can track when a document is received, its status (including whether changes are required), and more. Real-time updates give organizations a better view into their transactions, increasing transparency and leading to faster dispute resolution.
Read more: How to Send a Peppol Invoice: Step-by-Step Guide for Compliance
What Does This Mean for Your Business?
The eB2B standards will simplify the e-invoice transmission process for all stakeholders, including end users, service providers, and tax administrators. The new model’s increased standardization simplifies cross-border transactions by reducing the compliance barriers that may make international trade difficult. It will give your business greater flexibility when transmitting documents and when connecting with other businesses.
By streamlining your company’s invoicing flow, eB2B will reduce the manual work needed to transmit e-invoices, saving you time and money.
For EDI companies, eB2B will make it even easier to integrate with Peppol. Reformatting e-invoices is not necessary, the network will handle structure and compliance instead. As a result, integrating open exchange networks like Peppol is a much smoother process: Simply send your invoices using the Peppol envelope. With eB2B, connecting to open exchange networks as an EDI provider is easy.
Read more: Which Countries Use Peppol?
How Storecove Can Support eB2B Implementation
Whether you’re connecting to Peppol for the first time or just want to adopt the latest eB2B standards, Storecove is here to help.
As a certified Peppol Access Point, we are prepared to help your business adopt Peppol. Our global API makes connecting easy: just connect to our software once, and you’ll instantly be able to send and receive e-invoices across the world.
When you send e-invoices with our API, we take care of formatting, validation, and delivery. Our software can easily fit into your organization’s current invoicing flow, allowing you to integrate quickly and meet regulatory requirements without complex onboarding. All you need to do is create an invoice. We take care of the rest, including compliance.
We update our API to account for any change in e-invoicing regulations or standards, including eB2B, to help your company stay compliant. Keeping up with new mandates on your own is time-consuming and difficult, but our automatic updates make global compliance seamless.
The Peppol network is constantly expanding, with new members joining daily and many mandates planned for the next few years. Get ahead of compliance issues by connecting to Peppol now and keeping your document standards up to date.
Get Started
Wondering whether our e-invoicing solution is a fit for your company? Request a free test account to gain access to a sandbox environment for 30 days. You’ll be able to experiment in a sandbox environment, giving you the chance to explore our intuitive interface and experience the benefits firsthand.
To learn more about Peppol or our e-invoicing solution, book a demo with our team. Feel free to contact us with any questions. We’re here to help.
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